Hard Yoga Poses With Ilustrations

Everyone knows the benefits of Yoga and hence, it has become so popular in recent times. Yoga is not just about folding your body for increasing flexibility but it has many forms and types which provide us with many physical and mental benefits. The purpose of Yoga is to create harmony, strength, and awareness in both our body and mind. Everyone likes to see the advanced yoga practitioners and teachers tying their body in unbelievable knots.

If you are no longer a beginner and want to try some hard Yoga poses for additional benefits, you must read further. Here, we present you some of the amazing and advanced yoga poses for you to learn and try.

Iron Cross Headstand​

This is what we call as a perfect inversion. Iron cross headstand is not a joke and very challenging for anyone. First of all, you have to fold your mat to cushion the top end of your head.

• Start the pose with your hands, knees, and top of your head on the mat.
• Bend your elbows so that your body feels stable.
• Get your feet close to the head and lift both your legs up in the air or gently kick them up.
• Now, the tough part is to move your arms such that they are straight and the head is in the middle.
• Hold this position for five deep breaths and slowly get back your feet back to the floor.

Eka Hasta Vrksasana – One Handed Tree Pose

This is another difficult pose which looks great when someone else performs it, but it is exceptionally difficult if you try it yourself. If you are a master in break dance with one arm handstand, then you can nail this yoga pose. Just, you have to try to be still instead of spinning. One handed tree pose doesn’t need any explanation or steps. The things you need are practice and only practice. This advanced form of one handstand indicates super impressive core strength, remarkably strong wrists, and mental focus. You have to try to hold the position for 15 minutes to get the maximum benefits.

Handstand Scorpion

There are enormous variations of scorpion-like Locust and forehand Stand scorpion, but the Handstand scorpion comes under the list of extremely difficult yoga poses. Also called as Vrschikasana B in Sanskrit, this balancing pose is difficult to master but can be done with vigorous practice. The three main factors which you need to master this pose are strength, flexibility, and balance. If normal handstand isn’t happening with you, then this yoga exercise will prove to be insanely difficult for you.

• You can begin with the pose by practicing in front of the wall.
• Place your palm around 15 inches away from the wall.
• Walk your feet towards your hands and lift your right leg into the air following by the left leg slowly.
• Hold this position for about five deep breaths and then come back to the initial position slowly.

Chakra Bond Pose

This is the modification for full wheel and is quite difficult if you aren’t very flexible. For doing this, you must be perfect in doing the full wheel yoga pose. This yoga exercise not only increases your flexibility but strengthens your shoulders and the upper and the lower back and thighs.

• Firstly, lie on the back and with your feet touching the ground; try to bend your knees by lifting your body upwards.
• Bend your elbow and place the palm on the ground to make your body stable with that position.
• Make sure that your feet and the hands are parallel to each other and lift your head off the ground.
• Now comes the difficult part; try to hold the lower part of your feet with the hands.
• Stay in the same position for over five deep breaths and then try to lower your body down.

Firefly 

If you see someone doing this firefly B, you will really be surprised. This exercise takes the flexibility to the whole new level. This arm balancing act requires a lot of arm strength and flexible hamstrings. If you want a challenging yoga pose, you must try this.

• Begin with your hand and legs on the ground with the rest of the body lifted above.
• Jump your feet up so that you can land them behind the hands.
• Once the arms are well behind your thighs, plant the palms firmly behind the feet.
• Bend your knees and crouch down. Make sure that the palms are strongly placed and stable before placing weight on them.
• Lift your feet over the floor, either one by one or together and try to straighten the legs in the air.
• Hold this pose for five deep breaths before coming to the initial position.

Eight Angle Pose

When you are trying to do this pose, you will feel like you are doing pushups. Just the difference is that instead of having your feet and legs behind you, you need them beside you in the air. Also, your one hand is between your legs. So, it looks like a human knot basically. This arm lifting pose increases the core strength and the endurance.

• Initially, do a forward bend so that your hands are on the either side of your body.
• Keeping your knees slightly bend; move the hands between the legs.
• Bend your knees and elbows so that your right leg is over the right arm.
• You will find that the right toes still touch the ground.
• Move the left leg to the right side of the body and lift the body of the ground slowly.
• Hold this position for a minute and come down again slowly.

Lotus Headstand Variation with Bound Legs

Lotus headstand will surely find its place in the top 5 most difficult yoga poses. Headstands are very much similar to handstands, with a difference that you balance your body with head and not with hands. You must be familiar with normal headstand before going to perform this yoga pose.

• Keep your hands firmly on the ground and walk your feet close to the hands.
• Lift you one leg up followed by another leg. Don’t end up doing a scorpion face pose, but while doing the headstand try to make the feet like they resemble the shape of the diamond.
• Also, while doing the inversion; try to put your hands together so that it looks like you are praying.
• Try to hold this position for a few minutes. This can increase your mental focus and increase the body strength and can make you calm.

Crane Pose

Crane pose is quite difficult but not much if you are familiar with handstand and firefly. This yoga pose is very advance if you are practicing arm balancing exercises. This yoga pose adds to both your physical and mental strength and can be used for body building and increasing flexibility. The main difference in this exercise and a normal handstand is that instead of trying to move your legs in the front just tuck your knees in the lower part of your armpits and remain as that position.

Try to tuck with the armpit in such a way that it resembles a shape of the ball. With the hands on the ground, bend the elbows and shift the weight onto the feet and leap forward to transfer the weight to your hands. Balance your body and make sure that the legs are parallel with the ground.

Bow Pose

This Bow pose is quite common but not as easy as it looks. It is nowhere related to the original bow means an arrow or relating to bow. This could be best done with an empty stomach or after few hours after having food when you are very hungry. This exercise increases the flexibility of your spine and makes your hands and core stronger. Also, it gives a great stretch to your chest and shoulders.

• First of all, lie flat on the stomach on the ground.
• Once you have a firm hold on both your ankle, try to keep them together especially the toes.
• Now lift your feet up as high as you can and try to shift the weight upside forward so that you can rest on your navel instead of a bone.
• Hold this position for five deep breaths and then slowly lower the body towards the ground.
• Repeat this process again after few hours to get the most benefits.

Wrap Up!

All these yoga poses hard to get it done and as it works on some or the other part of your body and can increase your physical and mental strength. You will face problems when you are new to these poses, but you will be adapted to them by vigorous practice. Quite difficult to master and perform, these yoga poses are not recommended for beginners without expert or trainer supervision. If you need challenging yoga poses, you must try all these helpful and hard poses.